SMUGGLED is an historical novel set in Eastern Europe between 1943 and 1991. Eva Farkes is a young Jewish girl caught in Hungary, when her parents decide to hide her in a flour sack and send her over the boarder to relatives in Rumania. Once there, she acquires a new identity, Anca Balaj, and is forced to forget her parents. She is only five years old.

I have read other books from this depressing era, and found it hard to keep going. But somehow, author Christina Shea made me keep my nose to the page as I followed Anca grow up, engage in unhappy love affairs, lose a child and all the other painful things that life flings at us. This is especially true if one was unfortunate enough to be living in Communist Eastern Europe. Anca gradually sees her adopted country Rumania grow poorer and poorer, until one day, the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu is deposed and executed. Anca loses no time in packing up her few belongings and heading back to Hungary, where she becomes Eva Farkes once more.

The rest of the story I will leave for you to discover. Suffice it to say that Ms. Shea has written a compelling narrative that is so compelling because almost everything is filtered through the viewpoint of this woman who never loses hope, and whose stoic courage keeps you turning the pages. Five stars.

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Cynthia’s Interests

Blog Tour with Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours

A Book Geek: review of THWARTED QUEEN
“I would heartily recommend Thwarted Queen to anyone who enjoys historical fiction particularly those who enjoy the history aspect to historical fiction.”

A Chick Who Reads review of THWARTED QUEEN:
“From the very start, this book captured my interest. Its a weighty book, about 440 pages give or take, and I read it in 2 days. I got a wonderfully entertaining history lesson from Cynthia Sally Haggard.”

Ageless Pages review of THWARTED QUEEN
“For a novel that clocks in at nearly 500 pages, THWARTED QUEEN was a surprisingly fast and easy read. Once Cecylee got her foot in the door, she was impossible to ignore.”

Flashlight Commentary review of THWARTED QUEEN:
“Meticulously researched and easy to follow, Thwarted Queen is an exceptional period piece, a must read for anyone interested in medieval monarchs, royal intrigue and the intense passions of those who sought the English crown.”

Luxury Reading review of THWARTED QUEEN:
“If you’re a lover of historical fiction, you will love this tale, especially if you’re interested in British history. I really enjoyed reading this, and would read it again.”

Blogs & Websites to watch

Ashley's Bookshelf
Ashley shares her thoughts about the books she’s read, and also hosts author interviews.

Big Als Books and Pals
BigAl’s Books and Pals concentrates on reviewing books from independent (“indie”) authors available for ereaders, primarily Amazon’s Kindle, but also the Nook from Barnes and Noble.

Book'd Out
Shelley Rae lives in Australia and is a voracious reader. She specifically welcomes Australian authors. She also has a list of resources for authors looking for reviews.

Booked In Chico
Erica Spangler reviews books and has an amusing 5-point rating system based on shots of coffee.

Books Like Breathing
Grace is a voracious reader who hopes to find a place in the publishing industry some day. Will accept VERY FEW Indie books to review, due to some bad experiences.

Brazilian Bookworm
May Arend lives in Brazil and wants to help authors promote their books, but is picky about what she accepts, and prefers paper to electronic media.

Clover Hill Book Reviews
Michelle is a Mom and lives in the UK. She is open to blog tours, author interviews and giveaways. She does NOT accept self-published books.

Dark-Readers
Dark-Readers does giveaways and makes videos of books they promote.

Flying Off the Shelves
Beth Negri reviews books and has a 5-point rating system. Will give a second opinion if asked by author.

The Agents

Irene Goodman, literary agent
Irene not only fosters the career paths of her present clients, she holds critique auctions every month, sending the proceeds to charities that she cares about

Welcome to Spun Stories

Welcome to Spun Stories, where I find books for book groups, give advice on the craft of writing, share tips on self-publishing, make bookclub recommendations, and spin stories from threads of the past

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Publisher’s Weekly Listing of THWARTED QUEEN, April 2013:

Thwarted Queen: A Saga About the Yorks, Lancasters and Nevilles
Cynthia Sally Haggard. Spun Stories Press, $18.99 paper (495p), ISBN 978-1-4801-5539-8; $2.99 e-book ISBN 978-0-9848169-1-0
Amazon
As the Hundred Years War comes to an end and the War of the Roses is about to begin, the wife of Richard, duke of York, bears a son after a love affair. Here is a portrait of a woman trapped by power, a marriage undone by betrayal, and a king brought down by fear.

Kirkus Review of THWARTED QUEEN, March 2013:

Cecylee Neville is 9 years old when she’s betrothed to Richard Plantagenet, the Duke of York. Years after they marry, an affair she has one night leads to the birth of an illegitimate heir, an event that alters the course of history. As King Henry VI of Lancaster descends into madness, the house of York—comprised of Cecylee’s husband and, later, her sons Edward, Richard and George—begins a long, hard-fought campaign, often marked by betrayal, to win the throne of
England for themselves.

Through careful, comprehensive research, Haggard creates a world rooted deeply in fact that’s also rich with dramatic detail. Descriptions of Henry’s descent into madness are particularly striking, as are the myriad relationships and duplicities that shaped the era, ultimately causing the war, which unfold intimately as Haggard couples fact with the affecting personal details.

Reviews of THWARTED QUEEN

“THWARTED QUEEN is a gripping, well-researched historical novel, revealing a violent age. Cecylee and the other characters are well-drawn, with great subtlety and depth." Lindsay Townsend, author of TO TOUCH THE KNIGHT.

"The author immerses the reader in a complex and vivid world that is depicted with persuasive confidence." Curtis Sittenfeld, author of AMERICAN WIFE.

"THWARTED QUEEN is a wonderful novel to introduce Cecily Neville and historical biographical fiction to young female readers." Mirella Patzer, author of THE PENDANT.

"Haggard delivers a swift epic that is both entertaining and informing. The writing is crisp and clear, the characters well-defined, and the emotion overflowing. This book has something for everyone—romance, intrigue, and plenty of action." US REVIEW OF BOOKS, May 2012.

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Cynthia’s favorite quotes

"People have declaimed against luxury for two thousand years, in verse and prose, and people have always delighted in it."
— Voltaire (Philosophical Dictionary)

"It is the Land of Truth (enchanted name!), surrounded by a wide and stormy ocean, the true home of ILLUSION where many a fog bank and ice that soon melts away tempt us to believe in new lands, while constantly deceiving the adventurous mariner with vain hopes and involving him in adventures which he can never leave, yet never bring to an end."
— Immanuel Kant (Critique of Pure Reason)

"Man is a rational animal. So at least we have been told. Throughout a long life I have searched diligently for evidence in favor of this statement. So far, I have not had the good fortune to come across it."
— Bertrand Russell (Unpopular Essays)

“Not all superstitions are dark and cruel. I once received a communication from the god Osiris. He was living at that time in a suburb of Boston.”
— Bertrand Russell (Unpopular Essays)

“Once upon a time there lived in Berlin, Germany, a man called Albinus. He was rich, respectable, happy; one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress; he loved; was not loved; and his life ended in disaster. This is the whole of the story and we might have left it at that had there not been profit and pleasure in the telling; and although there is plenty of space on a gravestone to contain, bound in moss, the abridged version of a man's life, detail is always welcome.”
— Vladimir Nabokov (Laughter in the Dark)

“Too much detail can have a distancing effect.”
— Wesley Stace (Charles Jessold)